Betty Jean Gillard, third child of the late Henry and Marie Richardson Gillard, was born Oc­tober 3, 1939, in Pembroke, Georgia. After several months of health challenges, she peacefully entered eternal life on April 5, 2023.
As an infant, her family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and resided in the South Baltimore community. Her two older sisters Parmetta and Anna welcomed her and later she welcomed brothers William (Bunny), Thomas and baby sister Vera. This close-knit family joined the Leadenhall Baptist Church under Reverend Thomas B. Davis (Pastor). Betty served faithfully
in Sunday School, the Children's Choir under Dorothy Stevens Lee, and the Baptist Training Union. She was a delegate to the Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Convention. She
also became President of the Junior Ushers, serving as needed at the church.
Betty attended the public schools in Baltimore and graduated from Carver Vocation Technical High School, P.S. #454 in June 1957. During the 1960's, Betty was then the eldest at home and upon the sickness and death of her beloved mother, she assisted her father with managing the household and caring for her two younger siblings, Thomas and Vera. "A task," Thomas said,
"she continued to perform well into their adulthood."
Betty wedded her longtime love, the late Willie Clark Jr. and out of this union three children were born, William, Donna, and Joanne. She was passionately devoted to her family as it grew years later to include grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Betty held a special interest in the arts. She genuinely enjoyed theatre, classic movies, and good television programs. She loved great music and enjoyed her favorites, including Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind and Fire. She was also a true sports enthusiast and watched many sport­ing events with her husband including football (she loved cheering on the Baltimore Colts!), basketball and baseball. When her husband's friends visited the home to watch games on tv, Betty could "hold her own" when discussing players' stats, the outcome of the games as well as players traded.
She was a gifted seamstress and with her sister Anna, often worked together at various sew­ ing factories. She also served faithfully as a teacher's aide for several Baltimore city public schools. On November 28, 1973, Betty accepted a position with the Social Security Administra­tion (SSA). As a busy mom of three children, she anticipated working, perhaps ten years with the federal government. She could have never imagined that one day a huge gathering of her loved ones including family, friends, neighbors, and work colleagues would honor her at her 30th Year SSA Retirement Celebration!!
Betty continued over her lifetime to be a bold Godly woman of faith and became a longstand­ing dedicated member of the New Psalmist Baptist Church in 1984 under the Pastoral direction of then Dr. Walter Scott Thomas, Sr. She proudly served as a leader of the Intercessory Prayer Ministry, and she also served in the Sunday School Youth Ministry. As the many years contin­ued, "Mother Clark," as she was affectionately called, enjoyed being a very diligent member of the Wednesday Bible Study Ministry. When visiting the family's home, the 1990 Directory of the New Psalmist Baptist Church remains readily available at hand.
Betty will always be remembered for her very loving but "tough-no nonsense" approach to life. She absolutely loved meeting and interacting with everyone and embraced the motto of "saying what she meant and meaning what she said!"
Betty leaves to cherish her life and memories: son William Clark, daughter Donna Stamp­ er, daughter Joanne Harris, daughter-in-law Karen Clark, (her sons-in-law Allen Stamper Sr and John W. D. Harris preceded her in death.); granddaughters Tierra Clark, Lori Stamper and Jasmine Simms-Harris, grandson Allen Stamper Jr., great grandson Dorian Green, great grand­ daughter Iman McAllister, brothers William Gillard and Thomas Gillard, (her sisters all preced­ed her in death), sister-in-law Joyce Gillard, brother-in-law Jimmy Johnson Sr., all of her nieces, nephews and a host of other family members and friends (her eldest nephew Glen Frazier and eldest niece Angela Walker preceded her in death), her oldest childhood friends: Betty Wallace and her brother Leon Wallace, Carolyn Savage Smith and Evelyn Kitchen Sutton, godson Wy­ man Joyner Jr., family friend Barbara Brown, former work colleague Mildred Woodson, former Supervisor John Wiggins, family friend Dennis Simmons, Denise Sherrod and all of her long­ time loving neighbors along Colmar Rd & Bowman Hill, and the New Psalmist Baptist Church Family.